“You promised me Mars colonies,” Buzz Aldrin of Apollo 11 fame lamented years ago; “instead, I got Facebook” (“You Promised Me Mars Colonies,” December 25, 2012). As far as vaunted technology is concerned, this sums it up pretty well. The bulk of humans want social networks rather than space colonies. Those few and far between who still dream of space colonization have been left behind. Once upon a time, intercontinental ventures required no more than a few hundred humans, but it is different with space ventures. Millions of humans are required for such feats, if not also billions. For better or worse, though, humans are not intelligent enough for space colonization at this stage of their evolution. At best, it is relegated to science fiction, and especially movies of this genre (“The Curse of Science Fiction,” May 27, 2011). In the meanwhile, social networks are all they can hope for. Zillions of trivia are ricocheting around the planet at this juncture. Whence the twist of so-called technology in the recent past. The richest humans on planet earth are behind the twist, too. Social networks are the rage, and much money can be made by their founders and investors. Returning to space colonization, it has become nothing if not a pipedream (“Content Analysis: Space Colonization,” October 1, 2016). By now, the only hope lies with humans thousands or even millions of years ahead. Good luck, fellow space colonists!

Addendum I (June 21, 2025)

Early this year I got an electronic mail message from a student of architecture at the University of Split. Her undergraduate thesis is dedicated to a Mars base featuring an observatory. She needed a co-mentor knowledgeable about such topics. First she contacted Korado Korlević, an astronomer of renown in Croatia, but he suggested to her to contact me instead on account of my experience with this subject. To my surprise, I agreed without a thought. A fellow space colonist is always welcome. Ever since, we have exchanged many messages concerning her thesis, which she has completed recently. Looking back, I am amazed at our interaction over quite a few months. In spite of my doubts about space colonization at this age, I am still convinced that it is the only way the human species can survive much longer than the solar system. All the way through, I was delighted by the conviction with which the student from Split shaped her thesis. I could feel her commitment and zeal, which reminded me of myself while I was working on my own undergraduate thesis more than half a century ago (“Autobiography X,” November 29, 1987). Goodness gracious, this world of ours would be lost without fellow space colonists.

Addendum II (January 3, 2026)

Modesty Leu is the name of my last fellow space colonist. Born in Vienna, she went to Split to study architecture. A couple of months ago, she visited me in Motovun together with her mother, who was born in Dalmatia. We talked for a few wonderful hours in my house. It was a real joy to be together. After her graduation, Modesty started working as an assistant to her mentor at the Architecture Department at the University of Split. And a few weeks ago she informed me that she was awarded as the best student to get her diploma in architecture last year. Amazingly, this happened to me fifty-five years ago! All told, my co-mentorship was quite an experience for me. Even though I have informed Modesty immediately after her graduation of my growing doubts about the colonization of space, we still share the zeal that this civilization will most likely thwart this time around. Who knows, humans may be more lucky the next time civilization starts blossoming on planet earth. This may take another hundred-thousand years, by which time the upcoming glaciation period might be over, but the zeal will surely stay with our species. It is everlasting, as it were. The universe is humongous, and it does not take much time to attract the attention of enthusiasts like us. In that context, I remain an optimist. In spite of our age difference, Modesty shares my optimism. Sooner or later, humans may well venture out of the solar system. Once an optimist, always an optimist. Three cheers for space colonization!